A handful of days after it was reported that a former Alabama football player would be headed out west for a reunion, the move has officially come to fruition.
As Colorado State took to the practice field for the first time this summer, Dee Hart was working alongside his new Ram teammates. Because Hart has already graduated, he’s eligible to play for CSU in 2014.
The Rams’s head coach is Jim McElwain, who was Alabama’s offensive coordinator when the running back signed with the Tide in 2011.
“I’ve kind of known him since he was a freshman in high school and we’re really excited to give him an opportunity,” McElwain said in quotes distributed by the school. “I’m probably more excited than anything that he just finished his degree and he was the first member of his family to get his college degree, which I’m really proud of because that is something I promised him when I recruited him. Now we’ll give him an opportunity to go get a masters.”
McElwain added that he spoke to Nick Saban before deciding to bring Hart onto the team.
Hart was a touted five-star member of the Tide’s 2011 recruiting class, rated as the No. 1 running back in the country. The paper talent never translated to the field in Tuscaloosa as Hart’s career totals are just 43 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown.
In February of this year, Hart was arrested and charged with giving false information and possession of marijuana. It was revealed at that time that Hart hadn’t been a part of the team since shortly after the Tide’s Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma.
